CONSERVATIVE MP for Bexhill and Battle Huw Merriman has welcomed the confirmation of a number of projects which will benefit from £20 million worth of Levelling Up Partnership government funding and support.
Last March, Rother was named by the Government as one of 20 new Levelling Up Partnership areas which would benefit from bespoke place-based regeneration.
Since then, the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities (DLUHC) has carried out extensive consultation with the local MP, local authorities, business, and voluntary sector organisations to finalise a list of projects which are set to gain from the package of direct government funding and support.
The projects include £5 million to establish a new health centre for Little Common, £9 million towards a brand-new King Offa Leisure Centre, over £2.1 million for Rother’s voluntary and community sector, including establishing a new Bexhill Community Hub, £1.7 million to support the visitor economy, £200,000 to support local high streets and introduce a system to tackle shoplifting, and £1.25 million to complete the Queensway Gateway Road.
Mr Merriman said: “I have long campaigned for Rother to receive more government investment and intervention to ensure that all residents, in both urban and rural areas, and especially the more deprived areas, have equal and fair access to opportunities.
“Rother is a district which has long been overlooked or lost out to neighbouring towns in terms of funding.
“These projects have been carefully selected to deliver improvements for residents’ health and well-being, strengthen local transport links, boost business and tourism, provide much-needed housing, support learning and skills, as well as extra help for children, young people, and families.
“I fully welcome this investment in Rother and am pleased to have been directly involved in identifying these projects which will now be progressed thanks to Levelling Up Partnership funding.
“I have a strong working relationship with many of the levelling up partners in Sidley, Bexhill and across Rother and I am confident these projects will deliver for local residents and businesses.”
The full list of funding being allocated so far is as follows:
- £9 million towards a brand-new King Offa Leisure Centre alongside building over 50 brand new homes in the area.
- £5 million to establish the new Barnhorn Green Health Centre in Little Common, Bexhill to improve access to healthcare and £70,000 to make improvements to the Sidley Family Hub so parents and children can access the support they need.
- £2.1 million of funding for Rother’s voluntary and community sector, including improvements to existing community facilities and establishing a new Bexhill Community Hub.
- £1.7 million to support the visitor economy in Rother, including improving facilities at Camber Welcome Centre and new signage for Rother’s viticulture businesses.
- £500,000 (as part of a joint funding pot with the Hastings Levelling Up Partnership) to improve skills provision across both Hastings and Rother so that residents are equipped to gain well paid employment.
- £200,000 to support high street improvements in Bexhill, Rye and Battle and invest into an information sharing system to tackle business crime.
- £1.25 million for the completion of the much-needed Queensway Gateway Road.
